WASHINGTON — AIPAC applauds the Senate for rejecting a policy of containment of an Iranian nuclear weapons capability and calling for an increase in sanctions against the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.

The resolution (S. J. Res. 41) passed with overwhelming bipartisan support (90-1) and affirms that “it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.” It notes that, as President Obama has said, the window for diplomacy is closing and urges increased economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to come into full and sustained compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.

With each passing day the Islamic Republic is inching closer to a nuclear weapons capability. Just last month the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report detailing the tremendous progress Iran has made in its quest for nuclear weapons. Since May, the regime has doubled the centrifuges at its nearly impregnable Fordow facility from 1,064 to 2,140. It has produced 418 pounds of 20-percent enriched uranium—nearly doubling the quantity since January. And Iran has produced more than 15,000 pounds of low-enriched uranium, enough to fuel five bombs if further enriched.

AIPAC praises the efforts of Sens. Graham (R-SC), Lieberman (I-CT) and Casey (D-PA), as well as the 80 additional cosponsors, to get this resolution passed. The House in May passed H. Res 568, which similarly rejected containment as a policy for dealing with Iran. It was overwhelmingly passed in a bipartisan vote 405-11 with 330 cosponsors.

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Consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill, AIPAC is a bipartisan American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel. For more than 50 years, AIPAC has been working with Congress to build a strong, vibrant relationship between the U.S. and Israel. With more than 100,000 members across the United States, AIPAC works throughout the country to improve and strengthen that relationship by supporting U.S.-Israel military, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation.